People have a range of capacities to deal with overwhelming experience. Some people, some kids particularly, are able to disappear into a fantasy wor…

- Bessel Van Der Kolk

You can't see the glory of life if you haven't seen the dark side of life.

- Bessel Van Der Kolk

Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing interior discomfort. Their bodies are consta…

- Bessel Van Der Kolk

The parent-child connection is the most powerful mental health intervention known to mankind.

- Bessel Van Der Kolk

Trauma really does confront you with the best and the worst. You see the horrendous things that people do to each other, but you also see resiliency,…

- Bessel Van Der Kolk

The single most important issue for traumatized people is to find a sense of safety in their own bodies.

- Bessel Van Der Kolk